The sitting Conservative MP, John Hannam had retired and the Conservatives chose Adrian Rogers to be their candidate. While Bradshaw is openly gay, Rogers is a leading member of the religious right. The campaign was vitriolic and bitter with allegations of homophobia and sin.[4] The result, however, was not close, and Bradshaw was elected as the Labour MP for Exeter with a majority of 11,705. He made his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 4 July 1997. He was the second British MP who was openly gay at the time of first election,[5] 21 minutes after Stephen Twigg.[6]

On 28 June 2007 he was moved to become a Minister of State in the Department of Health and, in addition, was given the Minister for the South West portfolio.

Bradshaw was the subject of controversy while Minister for Health. His responses to questioning on Radio 4 about the shortfall in NHS dentistry leading to patients unable to access NHS dentists and even resorting to treating themselves was to claim that those needing urgent treatment should go to see their GP,[9] which prompted the British Medical Association to observe that a General Practitioner was no substitute for a qualified dentist.[10]

On the subject of the National Programme for IT, a scheme dogged by cost overruns, delays, and doubts over its benefit to patients,[12][13] he commented: "Our use of computer technology in the NHS is becoming the envy of the world. It is saving lives, saving time and saving money. If you talk to health and IT experts anywhere in the world they point to Britain as example of computer technology being used successfully to improve health services to the public."[14]

He was also criticised for defending[15] car parking fees at NHS hospitals at a time when Wales was removing parking fees.[16] The BMA called such charges "a tax on the sick",[16] and questioned the legitimacy of trusts making up to £248,000 a month in parking fees.[17] Bradshaw's claims that such charges were necessary to pay for patient care were dismissed by a shadow health spokesman, who commented that it did "not add up" for the government to make such claims in the light of an NHS surplus of £1.8bn.[18]

His plan to introduce private management of some NHS trusts was also heavily criticised. The BMA called it a step towards privatising the NHS, Dr. Jonathan Fielden observed that there was no evidence private management was better than public sector management, commenting "How many of us have seen our Trusts bring in the management consultants, paying through the nose, only to get a half baked solution and one that the real talent in the NHS could have delivered for less?", Professor Allyson Pollock, head of the Centre for International Public Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Bringing private management in will simply accelerate the process of privatisation of services which will have catastrophic effects for the patients and the public at large. It will mean less care for everyone, and more money for profits and shareholders". Nigel Edwards, of the NHS Confederation, said the government had tried drafting in private sector management before - at the Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield in 2003 - which was not successful. He commented: "What it revealed is that the reason that hospitals tend to fail is often much more complicated and much more difficult than just poor management".[19]

It was claimed in May 2009 that he exploited the MPs' expenses system by claiming the entire interest bill on a property he shares with his partner in west London.[20] Bradshaw has said claims made about his expenses were factually wrong.[21]

In 2009, Ben Bradshaw won the Stonewall Politician of the Year Award in 2009 for his work to support equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people.[23][24] He was given a score of 100% in favour of lesbian, gay and bisexual equality by Stonewall.[25] On 5 February 2013 he voted in favour in the House of Commons Second Reading vote on same-sex marriage in Britain.[26]

On 24 June 2006, he and his partner Neal Dalgleish, who is a BBC producer,[33] registered a civil partnership. He was one of the first MPs to do so, and he was the first Cabinet Minister to be in a civil partnership.[34] Bradshaw wants the position of the Church of England over same sex marriage or partnership in the clergy clarified. Specifically he wants to know if a member of the Church of England clergy who married a same sex partner would be disciplined or defrocked.[35]